


Use This Chance to Turn Things Around

by Namarie



Series: The Rittenhouse Empire [2]
Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alien Culture, Alternate Universe - Space, F/M, Missing Scene, Science Fiction, This is weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28428297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namarie/pseuds/Namarie
Summary: The Rittenhouse Empire has been defeated. That means Warrior Wyatt Logan finally has the chance to take his off-world pair, Lucy Preston, back to his home world with him so they can start a life together. But nothing is ever simple.
Relationships: Wyatt Logan/Lucy Preston
Series: The Rittenhouse Empire [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2082210
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel (or really, fills in some missing scenes) to the first fic in this series, Open the Skies. You’ll probably be pretty confused if you don’t read that one first.

~

“So that means it’s safe now,” said Lucy. She was smiling broadly. “We can go to Resann, and no one in the Empire will have any reason to bother us.”

Wyatt returned the smile. And then the thought he’d been trying to avoid thinking about struck him, and his smile faded immediately. He swallowed hard. “That’s-- that’s really good news,” he said, trying to match her enthusiasm.

Of course she saw through it. “What? What’s wrong, Wyatt? I thought this was what you were hoping for.”

An image of the Resann countryside flashed in front of Wyatt’s eyes, and he clenched his fists. “It is.” He wanted that life, so badly it ached. But now that the Empire was no longer an obstacle, the other, bigger obstacle was looming. He swallowed again, knowing that his fear was making itself obvious in how his crest was standing upright, and how he was breathing hard as if he was getting ready for battle.

“Then what is it?” She came closer, and her eyes grew wide. “Wyatt, what’s wrong? I’ve never seen you like this, outside of an attack situation!”

Wyatt shut his eyes and tried to focus on the present, on where he was, and the fact that his pair was right here with him. There was no immediate danger. When she took his hand, he made himself relax that fist – and that wrist spine. It took a lot more effort than he would’ve liked.

“Can you talk to me?” Lucy asked. “Please?”

When he met her eyes, the worry in them made Wyatt sigh and turn away. Shame replaced most of his fear. He had kept this from her. But she needed to know it. She needed to know what they would be walking into, if she went to Resann with him. “You’ve heard most of my story of the day after the last Warriors on Resann surrendered – but you haven’t heard all of it.”

Lucy was quiet for a few seconds. “All right. I’m listening.”

“I never directly asked the Rittenhouse representative if I was the highest-ranking Warrior left alive, but I think I must have been,” he said. He remembered the bitterness of that realization. “That meant that I didn’t just decide my own fate when I agreed to let their surgeons cut off my crest. I was deciding that for the rest of the Warriors who didn’t choose execution, too.”

He had told her, eventually, about being given the option of execution. She had been horrified then. But now her heartbreak and horror was even more obvious. “Oh, Wyatt...”

“I betrayed my sisters and brothers,” he said, and his voice broke. But he pushed on. “I condemned them to the same humiliation and-- and mutilation that I went through. I know it was probably the only way to make sure they stayed alive, and I know their crests grew back, like mine did. But if I go back to Resann, I’ll have to stand before my caste’s judges for what I’ve done. And that’s if I even manage to make it there without meeting any other Warriors on the way – or hell, any other Resanni who recognize me.”

By this point, Lucy was crying, and Wyatt could feel tears on his face. She shook her head, and then pulled him into her arms.

They wept together for a while. Then as their tears slowed, Lucy said, “Have you been carrying this guilt the whole time, without ... talking about it to anyone?”

Wyatt wiped his face and took a steadying breath. “Only you just now.” Well, and sometimes his ancestors – although they’d already known about it, of course. Who else could he have told?

She wiped away a few of her own tears. “I’m so sorry, Wyatt,” she said, her voice shaking. “No one should ever have to face an awful, terrible choice like that.”

He just nodded, not sure what else there was to say. But at least she didn’t hate him now – even if his people did.

Now his pair had a look of concentration on her face. He knew that look. It was her problem-solving look – the one she wore when she was determined not to let a problem go until she’d found a way to fix it. As she went and got them each a cup of water from the little kitchen in their temporary living space, she said, “If your court on Resann were to have evidence presented to them of your role in the resistance movement, would that change their ruling?”

Wyatt blinked. “But we agreed we were going to stay as anonymous as possible.”

“Yes, but this is different!” she insisted. “Your people – or at least the Warrior court – _need_ to know what you did for them, for everyone. Otherwise they won’t have the whole picture!”

He frowned, but she had a point. “All right, but it wasn’t just me. I’m not going to take credit for all you did.” Then he gripped her hand more tightly as another thought struck him. How could he not have thought of this before? “In fact, if-- if you come to Resann with me, you’re going to need a defense of your own.” Some pair he was – focusing selfishly on his own danger without even considering hers. He swore. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you that before, we should have been preparing for this--”

“Wyatt.” She broke in, firm but gentle, and took his face in her hands. “Wyatt, we’re going to figure this out. You don’t need to apologize for not wanting to dwell on the implications of what has to be one of the worst days of your life. Now. What kind of defense can we build for us both, so that we can live on your home world in peace?”

Wyatt took a deep, slow breath and let it out. He didn’t take his eyes off hers. Her question was a good one – the one they should be focusing on. He could try to deal with his guilt about forgetting the danger she would be in later.

~~  
It was hard not to be nervous. Or even outright afraid. After all, her pair – a Warrior with full _vara_ crest, with his deadly knives at his belt – was scared. He was doing his best to stay calm, she knew, but wasn’t succeeding all that well. Although it did help to know they weren’t here alone.

“Okay, so, walk me through the plan one more time,” said Rufus, looking at the two of them. They were in the meeting room of his ship. Their friend had volunteered to bring his new wife Jiya (also a doctor, though she specialized in a different area of study) and fly them all to Resann, so the two scientists could provide some diplomatic cover for both Lucy and Wyatt. “We arrive in Resanni space, and Jiya and I tell whoever hails us that we’re scientists who want to make a record of Resanni innovations and medicines. I make it clear we want to make this record available to Resann first and foremost. I show off my diplomatic credentials.”

“Yes, and then you tell them you have a Resanni Warrior onboard who wants to return to his home planet, along with his new off-world pair,” said Lucy.

“Right,” said Rufus with a nod. He exchanged a glance with Jiya. Then he moved his gaze to Wyatt, who was standing at a window staring out into the blackness of space. “And when they ask the Warrior’s name?”

“Tell them,” Wyatt said without turning around, his voice tense. “And tell them Lucy’s name, too. We don’t want any surprises for them when we get to the surface.”

Jiya – who Lucy liked and hoped they could spend more time with in the future, in a more relaxed setting, cleared her throat. “And … we’re pretty sure the Warrior Court isn’t going to execute either or both of you for treason as soon as you touch the ground?” She didn’t know all the details of why Wyatt was facing such an unfriendly reception, but she and Rufus knew enough to know the danger was real. “Shouldn’t we just stay with you?”

At that, Wyatt looked at her with a small smile. “No, you two should go do what you came all this way for. They won’t execute us. At very least, the fact that Lucy is my pair and she’s here with me will be some protection for both of us.”

“A Warrior would never kill another Warrior’s pair,” said Lucy, in answer to their friends’ faintly confused looks. “They don’t break that rule.”

“Thank you, though,” Wyatt said to Jiya. He let out a breath. “I really do appreciate both of you doing this.”

“Me, too,” said Lucy. She took Wyatt’s hand. They were going to make it through.

~  
It was hard to maintain that optimism now, Lucy thought, after she and Wyatt arrived. Within minutes, they had been seized and taken (not exactly dragged, but it hadn’t been too far off) under guard to stand in front of three Warriors seated on three identical and very imposing stone chairs. These three were on a raised platform at one end of a fairly large, darkened hall. Even as she tried not to show her fear too obviously, Lucy had enough focus to notice that one of the Warriors she assumed to be the judges was a woman. She also noticed that the chairs they were sitting on were clearly made to accommodate a _vara_ crest.

To her dismay, once they were in front of the judges, the guards shoved Wyatt to his knees, though they allowed Lucy to remain standing with a guard holding a sword just inches from her throat. Wyatt didn’t resist at all. He did, however, twist around so he could see her – in spite of the blade at his own throat.

“Face the front, traitor!” snarled one of his guards in Resa, shoving Wyatt again with the butt of his sword. “Stop staring at your dirty Falaran--” And then there was a word that Lucy didn’t know, but she could guess the meaning.

Wyatt’s response was to lunge to his feet, ignoring all the weapons pointed at him, and shout something in rage. Lucy couldn’t catch anything but the word “pair”, because everyone else started shouting at about the same time. She flinched as several more guards drew their swords and moved toward Wyatt.

“STOP!”

That had been one of the judges, the woman in the middle. All three of the judges were standing now, and they all looked furious. Everyone in the hall stopped.

“Now,” said the woman, “Riggan, it is not your job to pass judgment on either of these two. Is that understood?”

The guard who had made the comment about Lucy flushed, bowed to the judges, and said, “Yes, Honorable One. I apologize.”

Satisfied, she sat. The other two sat as well. Slowly, Wyatt kneeled in his former position, without any prodding from the guards.

“Lady Lucy,” said the woman then in accented but clear Standard, focusing on Lucy, “will you require an interpreter for these proceedings?”

Lucy blinked, and then cleared her throat. “Uh, if I’m allowed to ask for clarification on things I don’t understand, and if everyone speaks a little more slowly, then--” She switched to Resa. “Then I should be fine. Thank you for asking.”

She didn’t miss the surprised glances from several of the Warriors there – or Wyatt’s proud smile.

“Very well,” the woman said with a nod, switching back to Resa herself. “You may ask any time that you need clarification.”

From there, things went along in a more orderly fashion. That didn’t mean it was easy, though.

“Are you Wyatt Logan of the southern tribes, and were you among those captured by Rittenhouse forces at the end of the invasion?” one of the male judges began.

“Yes,” said Wyatt. He swallowed. Lucy could tell he knew exactly where this was going. Hell, she did, too. This was going to be agonizing for him.

“Were you then the highest-ranking member of our forces alive?”

As Wyatt acknowledged that he was, Lucy realized with a shock of sadness that all these Warriors present had to either be younger than Wyatt, or his same age. There probably weren’t any older ones left on the whole planet, unless they’d been too old or sick to fight in the invasion. It was a horrible thought. She felt tears threatening, and forced them back.

The judge followed up his question about whether Wyatt had agreed to crest removal for himself and other surviving Warriors by asking why. This, honestly, was a surprise to Lucy. She had expected they wouldn’t be interested in hearing any justification. And she supposed some of the guards might not be interested. The judges were, though.

“There were two main reasons,” said Wyatt. He raised his head to meet the eyes of the judge doing the questioning, for the first time. His voice shook, but it was clear. “First, horrifying and unthinkable as it was, it was the best option I could see to keep _risa_ , to stop our caste from being wiped out. What good would it do our people if we’d all been executed or shipped off to prisons? Second, the Rittenhouse representative who talked to me pointed out that if I agreed to it, the position she had for me would be one that I could use to help change things for the better. And I did.”

The three judges looked at one another. Then the other man, the one who hadn’t spoken yet, said, “It’s not possible to dispute his first point. _Risa_ would have been destroyed beyond repair if the rest of our caste were executed or even removed from Resann. I need to hear further explanation for his second point.”

“Agreed,” said the man who’d been questioning Wyatt. He looked at Wyatt. “What were the details of your position, and how did you use them for your people’s benefit?”

“I was hired as Lucy Preston’s personal bodyguard,” said Wyatt, glancing at Lucy with another tiny smile. “As someone with close contact with a member of one of the foremost Rittenhouse families, I would have the opportunity to influence her decisions.”

Lucy wanted to speak up then, to say that he had influenced not just her decisions, but her entire life since she’d met him. But this was a court, and she hadn’t been invited to speak yet. She didn’t want to commit some kind of faux pas that would ruin their chances. So she just nodded slightly.

“And did you?”

“Yes,” Wyatt replied without hesitation. “First, I was able to tell her the truth about the Empire’s tactics in forcing other planets to integrate. From there, as we grew to trust each other, we started to think about how we might help bring about big structural changes, for the whole Empire.”

As Wyatt and then Lucy described what they had done as part of the resistance movement (she was glad she’d heard Wyatt say that phrase in Resa first, though she thought she’d done a good job imitating his pronunciation), Lucy stayed alert to how everyone present was reacting. Many of the guards still looked skeptical at best, or downright furious. But some seemed surprised.

When both she and Wyatt were done, one of the male judges said, “Do you have any evidence that will prove that you both had such influence in the resistance movement?”

Lucy had spoken most recently, so it was apparently up to her to reply. “Yes, Honorable One. You may ask either Dr. Rufus Carlin or Dr. Jiya Marri-Carlin. They can testify to our involvement.” Jiya hadn’t been involved for quite as long as Rufus, but she’d still been an instrumental part of it all.

“Also Connor Mason, if you reach out to him,” Wyatt added, after a moment.

Connor was currently enjoying a (well-deserved) burst of fame and prosperity, in the aftermath of the fall of the old ruling Empire families. There had been no reason to disguise the fact that he had funded a significant part of the resistance efforts, including many of the innovations that had made it possible. Lucy was genuinely happy for her ex-husband.

“That seems easily verifiable,” said one of the judges. (Lucy had to ask for the meaning of that Resa word, which he provided.)

The others agreed. “The one remaining issue regarding this testimony,” said the other male judge, “is the issue of this Falaran – this _foreigner_ as Wyatt Logan’s pair. Such a thing has never happened before.”

“When would there ever have been the chance for that to happen before?” countered the woman, raising an eyebrow. She turned to Wyatt. “May we examine your accordance mark?”

Without hesitation, Wyatt extended his arm and turned it so the mark was visible. It had deepened in color since he and Lucy had gotten together. It hadn’t faded even slightly.

The three judges stood and stepped down off the raised platform. Then they took it in turns to examine Wyatt’s arm. Lucy noted that none of them actually touched the mark, though.

“Hmm,” said the woman. She turned to Lucy. “Lady Lucy, you don’t have a mark?”

“Not a natural one, no,” Lucy said regretfully. She showed her arm, with its small but very visible tattoo. “I don’t have the--” She stopped, and changed her wording to less complicated Resa words that she knew. “My body can’t make its own mark, sadly. But my attachment to my pair is no less strong just because of that.”

The three judges approached her and looked at her tattoo, again without touching it. They all murmured at the word she had chosen. Then as they returned to their seats, the man who had spoken up about the issue first cleared his throat. “As unbelievable as it seems, we must grant that these two are a pair,” he said stiffly. “Therefore, we must grant them the protections granted to any Warrior pair.”

There was some grumbling from certain of the guards in the room, but the other judges voiced their agreement.

“Yes,” said the woman. “But although Wyatt Logan and his pair must be allowed to live, we haven’t reached a decision yet on the punishment for his actions at the end of the invasion. There’s no precedent in our records, so there’s no prescribed punishment for a Warrior or any Resanni whose actions led to such … defilement.”

Wyatt’s face, which had shown relief at their first ruling, now fell. Lucy swallowed and wished she could go stand next to him.

“Do you regret your actions?” the woman asked Wyatt.

It took him a few seconds to speak. “I’ve never stopped feeling the guilt of what I did,” he said finally. “I don’t know if I can ever hope to be forgiven by any of my sisters and brothers, but part of the reason my pair and I came back to Resann was so that I could appear before you, Honorable Ones, and hear your ruling.”

“Part of the reason?” one of the men said, frowning. “What was the rest?”

Wyatt blinked, and then gave Lucy a look so full of love that it put a lump in her throat. “To build a family here, with my pair.”

There was a pause, and when Lucy looked away from Wyatt, she saw that all three judges looked affected by this answer. But the same guy turned his attention to her. “Is that why you came here, as well?”

“Yes,” she said readily. “Wyatt has described his home to me enough over the years that I wanted to come here to start our family. It sounded peaceful. It sounded like … like what I needed, after the life I’ve lived until now. And it sounded like a much better place to raise children than any I could think of.”

That was the truth – and as a bonus, it seemed to go over well, too.

“Well. Then all that remains is the matter of a suitable punishment that takes into consideration both the transgression and the actions made afterward,” said the woman.

Riggan, the man who had insulted Lucy (she guessed) earlier, said something under his breath about another crest removal. Lucy glared at him, and so did almost everyone else including the judges. “Do I need to remind you again about whose job it is to pass judgment, Riggan?” said the woman judge icily. “Or would you like to be permanently ejected from the hall?”

“N-- no, Honorable One,” Riggan stammered, gulping. “I apologize.”

After a moment, the woman nodded. “Very well. There will be _no_ crest removal of any Warrior, ever again – no matter who she or he is or what she or he has done. Everyone here--” and she glared at Riggan again who wilted visibly under her gaze - “agrees that such an act is forbidden. But since _Vara_ Wyatt Logan was forced into allowing it and has since done everything possible to aid our people, his punishment will be mitigated.”

She and the other two judges stood to confer briefly, in voices too low for Lucy or the others to catch anything. Lucy tried not to fidget. At least they sounded like they were going to be more reasonable about this…

The judges resumed their seats. Lucy told herself to breathe normally.

“ _Vara_ Wyatt Logan, after considering your efforts in the resistance, and the fact that you and your pair didn’t try to escape justice when you returned to Resann,” the woman said, “we as the judges of the Warrior caste have decided that the punishment for your crimes against your caste will be to help us rebuild. Specifically, you will join the team of Resanni who have just begun working to rebuild the Warrior training hall, and you will work on it until it’s finished.”

Wyatt let out a breath and bowed his head. “I accept your judgment, Honorable Ones.”

“We will see to it that the news of the resolution of this case is published, to protect you and your pair from any lingering anger,” the woman went on. Then she raised her voice. “This is our pronouncement, and it is final.”

“We witness your judgment,” said the other Warriors in unison.

“Release him,” said the other man, the one who had spoken less. The guards next to Wyatt stepped away from him.

Wyatt stood up, bowing to the judges again. “Honorable Ones,” he said, “I’m grateful for your mercy, and eager to help my sisters and brothers in this way. But may I ask one question?”

“Ask,” said the woman with a slight nod.

He glanced at Lucy, and then back at the judges. “Does my sentence allow me time to help my pair build a home for us?”

Lucy wished that had occurred to her to bring up. It was true that if Wyatt was going to be working on this training hall all day every day for the next while, she wasn’t even sure where they would be living. Which was something that was pretty important to deal with. She tried not to panic that they would be sent away, off-planet – after all they had been through to get to this moment.

The three judges looked at each other. They seemed to reach some kind of unspoken agreement. The woman said, “This is a reasonable request, and it will be granted. Your weekends are free, for you and your pair to do whatever you wish together. And you may ask at the Reclamation Office about housing options in the meantime.”

Wyatt bowed again. “Thank you, Honorable Ones.”

From there, the two of them were ushered (much less forcefully) out of the hall, into the pleasant Resann sunshine. One of the guards – not Riggan – said to Wyatt, “Your house is still standing, brother, though no one’s cared for it since the invasion.”

Eyes widening, Wyatt turned to the guard, and then his jaw dropped. “David?”

“Wyatt,” said the guard, grinning and holding out a hand.

The two Warriors clasped hands, and Lucy watched in delight as Wyatt reunited with this man who must have been a friend. At least not all of Wyatt’s friends from his caste were dead or hated him.

“It’s so good to see you looking well, brother!” Wyatt was saying, still looking stunned but happy. His smile faded a little as he went on, “I-- I didn’t see you on the Rittenhouse ship … after. So I thought...”

“No, I made it,” he said. “Got a little banged-up, but nothing too bad.” He flexed his wrist spines and grinned again. “I’m good as new by now, as you and your pair can see.”

Wyatt swallowed, and Lucy made sure he could tell she was standing right next to him. He muttered a word Lucy still hadn’t learned, that she was pretty sure was not polite since Wyatt hadn’t told her what it meant yet. He glanced at her, then back at David. “Yeah,” he said. “But uh, listen. I don’t even know how to begin to apologize for … what happened to you after Rittenhouse talked to me.”

David waved a hand. “I mean, I won’t pretend it wasn’t awful, but I’m not angry at you. What the hell else could you have done?”

Wyatt let out a breath. Lucy took his hand, and he turned to smile at her. “Hey, Dave,” he said, turning back to his friend, “since you haven’t been formally introduced, this is my pair, Lucy.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Dave, with a little bow.

“Pleased to meet you, too,” Lucy replied, doing her best to ignore a sudden spike in her insecurity about her accent when speaking Resa. She hadn’t been nervous about that in front of the judges.

As if he’d noticed, Dave said, “You speak Resa very well, Lucy. Which is surprising, if this guy is the one who taught you.” He grinned at Wyatt again.

“I’ll have you know that Wyatt is an excellent teacher,” said Lucy, although she smiled, too. This – this teasing and banter was the sort of thing she’d missed out on with her rather isolated childhood and lack of real friends. She liked it.

“Thank you, Lucy,” said Wyatt, rolling his eyes but also clearly enjoying himself.

Dave volunteered to take the two of them and their small amount of luggage to Wyatt’s old house (Wyatt seemed anxious when he asked Lucy if that was okay, but she didn’t have any objections). It wasn’t a very long trip, which was nice. Still, Lucy felt the exhaustion of the morning’s events crash down on her on the way. She didn’t relish the idea of having to clean out a house that had been left vacant for years.

“So, how about you two sit down out here on these chairs – you might want to dust them off first – while I go in and make the place a little less of a disaster?” said Dave as they arrived.

“Dave,” said Wyatt, “you don’t have to--”

“I know,” he cut in. He clapped Wyatt on the top of the shoulder. “Just consider it an attempt to give you a real welcome home, to try to make up for what you just went through at the judgment hall. I’m glad you’re back, brother, and that you brought your new pair with you. Everyone else will come around, too.”

When Wyatt was clearly speechless, Lucy stepped in, taking his hand again and telling Dave, “Thank you. That means a lot.”

~

When she woke up out of her dead sleep later, Lucy realized something was wrong before she fully remembered where she was. Then she figured out what it was: Wyatt wasn’t next to her in the bed.

She sat up, listening and trying not to panic. But thankfully she could recognize the sound of her pair’s movement even in this unfamiliar house. It seemed like he was sort of trying to be quiet about it. He wasn’t really succeeding though.

Lucy slipped out from under the covers, and then put on her robe. This house was apparently going to be chilly at night. Which she didn’t mind much.

She saw Wyatt silhouetted against the glass of the back door. As she watched, he paced back and forth across the length of the door, then stopped to stare outward. His agitation was obvious, even from here. He was also holding something that she couldn’t see clearly in the pre-dawn.

Lucy cleared her throat softly. “Wyatt?”

He jumped so dramatically at her voice that Lucy winced in sympathy and worry. “Lucy,” he said, turning around. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, taking a cautious step closer. “What about you?”

He took a few seconds to respond. Lucy thought she could just about hear his breathing as he tried to calm himself. “I can’t sleep.”

“Well, I figured that out,” she said with a small smile. “Why?”

Wyatt was silent again, for the space of a few breaths. Then he said, “I-- I should feel safe here. It’s Resann, it’s my home world. But I can’t.”

Lucy felt her heart squeeze. She came closer. “Why not?”

“I’m not sure.” As he glanced out the window again, Lucy realized with a jolt that what he was holding were his knives. But when he looked back at her and saw her expression, he quickly dropped her gaze and sheathed them at his belt.

“Come back to bed,” said Lucy. She did her best to sound calm. “We’re not under attack – but it was a long day, and I know we both could use some real sleep.”

It took him a few seconds, but then he nodded. With one more glance at the window, he followed her back into the bedroom. Then he took off his belt and set it on the dresser just inside the door.

Just as she was about to take off her robe and get back under the covers, Wyatt finally spoke. “Can we switch sides?”

“Hmm?” Lucy blinked, looking at him.

“On the bed,” Wyatt clarified. “Can we switch sides?”

“Fine,” said Lucy with a shrug. As she walked around to the other side of the bed, she tried to aim for a teasing note. “This side not comfortable enough for you?”

Wyatt smiled a little, but shook his head. “I just … I need to be closer to the door.”

It clicked then. He wanted to put himself between her and the door. Lucy swallowed back a rush of emotion. “You know,” she said softly, as they both lay down (Wyatt on his stomach, which made sense since he was obviously not going to relax completely tonight), “I didn’t think I’d still need a bodyguard once we got here.”

He sighed. “I know. The judges have ruled that we have the same protections as any other pair … and even if they hadn’t, it’s not like even Riggan would actually attack us in cold blood.”

“Good.” That was reassuring to hear him say. Not that she’d figured Wyatt would want to return to his home world with her, if the risk of assassination after the judges ruled was that high.

“So you’re right, you probably don’t need a bodyguard,” he went on. Then he scoffed. “But I don’t know if I can convince myself of that enough to sleep.”

There was a lot of trauma at work here, Lucy thought. It wasn’t going to just go away overnight. But she hoped she could help him make it through this first night, anyway. “Would it help at all if you, I don’t know – if you rested your head on me? On my shoulder?”

Wyatt didn’t say anything at first, which made Lucy’s more insecure side wonder if she’d just suggested the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. But then he scooted closer to her. “I don’t know, but I’d like to try it,” he answered her.

It took a little bit of figuring out, but eventually Wyatt settled into a position with his head partially on her shoulder that was comfortable for both of them. And then he let out a longer sigh, and seemed to relax a noticeable amount more.

“I think it might be working,” he mumbled.

“Glad to hear it,” she said, and shut her own eyes.

~~


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning that the last section of this chapter, starting at "Two Years Later", deals with a pretty heavy topic (fertility problems). You can feel free to skip it if you would prefer.

~~  
Six Days Later

They had started to really settle into their new routine here, Lucy thought, as she watched her pair begin his walk to the Warrior training hall that morning. Sure, there were still things they were figuring out. Their house still needed some minor repairs and some new furnishings, for one thing. But Wyatt had begun to relax more, to move past his lingering fear for their safety. That was key. It helped that his required service taking part in rebuilding the training hall was good, hard work that left him tired enough to sleep soundly.

As for her, she was adjusting to life on Resann – or life in her and Wyatt’s tiny corner of Resann, anyway. So far, she liked it pretty well. Their house was cozy and well-made, and they had a yard that looked like it had once been nicely tended. That was a project she might be able to take on at some point, Lucy supposed. She was getting a little worried she would start to become bored and lonely soon, though. Even with the prospect of learning how to garden on Resann, and with her book writing plans and the necessity of keeping up with their network of resistance members, she was going to be facing a lot of hours alone, with not much to do. At least until Wyatt was done with his sentence at the training hall.

Wyatt was concerned about this, too. This morning at breakfast, he had frowned across the table at her. “Are you sure you’re really okay with being here, Lucy? Basically by yourself, since I have to work so much almost every day?”

Lucy blinked, and resisted the urge to snap at him that it wasn’t like she had a lot of other places to go that would be better. That was true, but she also genuinely didn’t want to be anywhere else. “Wyatt. This is a totally new planet to me, and a new culture. It’s going to take a while for me to learn the ropes here. I knew that when I told you I wanted to come back to Resann with you.”

“All right, but you’re going to want friends,” he said. “Right?”

“Yes, that would be nice,” she admitted. “Eventually. It doesn’t have to happen immediately, though. I’ll be fine.”

She still believed this was true. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking about how she might start to make connections here on her new home planet.

To her surprise, it didn’t take longer than few more hours before that question was answered for her. She had just washed the dishes from her simple, solo lunch (that was another thing she had time to learn: how to do more cooking) when there was a knock on the front door.

Lucy took a sharp breath. She and Wyatt hadn’t met any overt hostility from other Resanni they had met, on the few occasions they’d had time to venture out of their house together. But there was still that lingering worry. Still, this was their home. And the judges had promised that everyone would be told that she and Wyatt were a pair. She straightened, dried her hands, and went to the door.

When she opened it, Lucy was somewhat surprised to see two older Resanni, not Warriors, standing on the porch. The three of them stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Lucy cleared her throat. “Uh. Hello,” she said in Resa.

The man and woman glanced at each other, then back at Lucy. “Hello,” said the woman, and smiled. “We’re your neighbors to the east. You must be – can I call you Lucy? Or do you go by Lady Lucy?”

The only word in there that was Standard had been “Lady”, which she supposed made sense. Lucy smiled in response. These neighbors both seemed genuinely nice so far. “Lucy is fine. And, uh, would you like to come in?”

“Oh, we don’t want to intrude on you when you’re alone,” said the woman, and her husband nodded. “But we did want to introduce ourselves. My name is Nella, and this is Jon. Your Resa is excellent, by the way.”

“Thank you. It’s very nice to meet you,” said Lucy. Handshakes were a thing, she was pretty sure she’d learned – and indeed, they didn’t seem confused at all when she reached out her hand. “Sorry, my, ah, my pair isn’t home to meet you at the moment.”

“Yes, we understand,” said Jon. His smile dimmed for a moment, but then he went on, “That’s part of why we just wanted to stop by briefly today. We’d like to invite you and _Vara_ Wyatt to our house for dinner this weekend. We know he’s very busy and would probably like to rest on days when he’s not working, but we haven’t seen him in … oh, quite a few years now, and we’d like to renew our acquaintance with him as well as spend some time getting acquainted with you, Lucy.”

“Oh.” Lucy blinked rapidly, doing her best not to start crying. Not only did they know exactly who both she and Wyatt were, but they still wanted to become friends (or renew a friendship, in Wyatt’s case). “Oh, well … I’ll talk to him tonight, but I think he’ll be happy to say yes.”

Jon and Nella both looked pleased. “Wonderful,” said Nella. “We’ll look forward to hearing from you soon, then. Have a pleasant afternoon, and it was nice to meet you, Lucy.”

“You, too,” said Lucy, sniffling. “Thank you so much for coming by.” Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as she was starting to fear, to build some friendships.

~~  
“So I met some of our neighbors today.”

Wyatt had just gotten out of the shower. He was in the process of getting dressed when Lucy came into their room and dropped that bit of news, in a casual tone of voice.

“What?” He pulled on his shirt so quickly that he almost tore it on his crest (something he hadn’t done in more than a decade). But she looked – happy? “Was it-- I mean, did they come over to our house?”

She nodded. “Nella and Jon. Nice older couple. They came by to invite us both over for dinner sometime this weekend.”

Wyatt ran a hand through his damp hair. “Nella and Jon? They’re still next door, huh?”

“Yeah.” Lucy smiled as she went on, “They said they haven’t seen you in a long time, and so they want to become ‘acquainted’ with us both.”

“Well, what do you know,” he said softly. The Crafter pair had been kind and welcoming, back when he and Jessica had moved here all those years ago. It seemed like that must have stayed the same, in spite of all the things that had changed for Wyatt since then. “What did you tell them?”

“I said I’d check with you, but I thought you’d say yes.” Now her eyes were wide and slightly uncertain. “Right?”

“Yeah, of course,” he assured her with an answering smile. “We just need to decide what night is best.”

“Great,” said his pair. “And, um, should we bring some kind of gift?”

“Gift?” At first, Wyatt was confused. Then he remembered. “Oh, you mean, like the Falaran custom for when you visit someone else’s home? No, since we just moved in, we don’t need to bring anything I’d call a gift. Although – I think I saw a wild _yena_ hive on that tree in the far corner of our yard. We could bring them some honeycomb as a gesture of thanks for their invitation.”

“Okay. Sounds reasonable. We have an insect like that on Falar, I think,” said Lucy. “But – if we try to harvest the honey, won’t they sting us?”

“Sure, if you don’t do it right.” Wyatt grinned. Harvesting wild _yena_ honey had been one of his favorite activities to do with his grandfather as a teenager. “But it’s pretty easy if you know how. And if you happen to have access to a Warrior who’s willing to help.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Well, now I’m curious.”

He glanced out the window. “It’s a little too dark to go show you right now,” he told her, “and I think we should wait until the day we’re going to visit. But I promise I’ll break it down step by step.”

He could tell she was a little miffed at having to wait (which was kind of adorable), but she just said, “All right. What day should I tell them we’ll come over?”

They agreed on the day after tomorrow. It would be a nice center point to the weekend, Wyatt thought. And it was really good – and a huge relief – to have an interaction with his fellow Resanni to look forward to, that had nothing to do with his crimes against his people. Resanni were forgiving, by and large, when a transgressor made amends as much as possible. But this was such a major thing to forgive.

As was turning out to be usual after a long day’s work at the training hall, Wyatt went to bed soon after dinner and slept solidly until morning. But although part of him would have been happy to catch a few more minutes of sleep that morning, he wanted to get ready in time to go with Lucy to their neighbors’ house before he left for the training hall again. And it ended up being well worth it.

“ _Vara_ Wyatt?” Nell’s face broke into a huge grin after she opened her front door. “It’s wonderful to see you! Jon, come here! It’s Wyatt!”

A few seconds later, Wyatt found himself being greeted enthusiastically by both of the Crafters. They had a very good though necessarily quick chat, and once they had all agreed on the following evening for dinner, Wyatt reluctantly started the farewells. “I’d love to talk some more, but I’ve got to go to work.”

“Yes, of course,” said Jon. He put a hand on top of Wyatt’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming by, young man. You and your pair.”

“We’re so glad you’re back home, and that you two will have the chance to start a family here on Resann,” added Nell. She had hardly stopped smiling this whole time.

Wyatt glanced at Lucy – but she was smiling, too, although her cheeks had turned a little red. “That’s the plan,” he said. “After we’re all settled in together.”

“Of course.”

Soon enough, it was time for Wyatt and Lucy to get ready for the visit to their neighbors. That meant getting their small gift ready. That afternoon, Wyatt took a minute to make sure he remembered all the steps that needed to be taken. That included steps for himself, in particular, but also in general. He tried not to smirk at Lucy’s obvious curiosity and impatience as she watched him choose a suitable container from the kitchen.

“All right,” he said, selecting a fairly large, shallow pan from the back of the cupboard. He filled it about half full with water. “This is all we need.”

“Just water?”

“Not quite.” Wyatt extended his right wrist spine and added just three drops of venom to the water. Then he swished the pan around, carefully, to mix it. “There.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to poison the honeycomb, are you?”

“Only temporarily, and only a little bit.” He grinned at her continued confusion, but then relented. “I promise, the way this works, the venom won’t stick to the honeycomb or stick around for long enough to hurt anyone. Even the _yena_ will only be bothered by it long enough to leave while we take a section of the hive.”

After a second, understanding dawned. “Oh, you’re going to smoke them out?”

“Steam, technically, but yes.” He dodged her swat and gestured for them to both go outside.

A little while later, Wyatt was glad they had given themselves plenty of time after lunch for this. As it turned out, the hive wasn’t in the most convenient place in the tree to access. And of course it wasn’t a smart idea to break off a lot of branches or make a lot of commotion in general next to a _yena_ hive, since he hadn’t pacified the stinging insects yet.

“Hmm.” He put his hands on his hips, staring up at the hive.

Lucy, who was keeping the pan of water steady on top of the portable camp stove, looked like she was hiding a smile. “Pretty easy, huh?”

He gave her a mock-glare. “Look, I haven’t done this since I was a kid, all right? And that was on my grandfather’s land, and so he--”

“No, no, I get it,” she said. “You’re out of practice.”

Rolling his eyes even as he couldn’t help smiling, Wyatt turned his attention back to the problem at hand. To his relief, he was eventually able to pull away some dead branches in a few strategic places, only jostling the hive a little bit. And therefore only having to dodge one or two irate _yena_. 

“All right.” He stepped back. “Now, it’s not windy today, which is good. But still, once we start the water boiling, we’ll need to both make sure we stand on the opposite side of the pan, so we don’t get any of the steam in our faces.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan,” said Lucy, with a glance toward his wrists.

After that, thankfully, it only took a few minutes for Wyatt to get the little camp stove positioned next to the tree and lit. It was made to boil water quickly, which it did – and Wyatt only had to adjust its position a small amount relative to the breeze, to make sure that the steam rose directly toward the _yena_ hive.

He was gratified to see the steam start to have an effect within seconds. A few of the buzzing insects outside the hive dropped to the ground. Then the buzzing got louder, as more of them started to swarm. He heard Lucy mutter something under her breath as she stepped back. Which he didn’t blame her for. It was an intimidating sight.

After another minute or so, all of the _yena_ had exited the hive, and the swarm settled on the branch of another tree close by. Wyatt turned to Lucy. “We have to move kind of quickly now,” he told her. “They won’t stay away for long. So you keep watch – tell me if you see any of the ones on the ground starting to move, or if the swarm starts to move, all right?”

“I can do that,” said Lucy. She looked at the fallen creatures around the tree. “So they’re not dead?”

“Nope, just knocked out.” He went forward and stretched up to the hive. It was easy enough (though sticky) to break off a decent-sized chunk, without destroying or ruining the whole thing. There was no need to rob the _yena_ of their entire home, after all.

“Wyatt, they’re starting to twitch a little,” came Lucy’s voice from behind him.

“Thanks.” He turned around, avoiding the _yena_ on the ground, and went back to where his pair was standing. “You can take the pan off the stove.”

“Okay.” She did so, and then pulled out the metal plate that was stored with the camp stove. “Can we put the honeycomb on this?”

“That’ll work,” he said. He put the sticky, sweet-smelling honeycomb onto the plate. Part of him wanted to lick off the honey, but that probably wasn’t a great idea at the moment. “Now let’s get inside before the _yena_ wake up completely and come after us for stealing.”

“Another good plan,” said Lucy, following him back to the house at a quick pace. She shot a look over her shoulder. As soon as they were inside with the door closed, she let out a sigh. “I have to admit, I’m surprised neither of us got even one sting.”

Wyatt set the plate on the kitchen counter, and turned to face her with a sad shake of his head. Deliberately, he exaggerated his accent as he replied in Standard, “Now what kind of bodyguard would I be if I let you get stung, ma’am?”

Laughing, she crossed the room and kissed him on the cheek. “I apologize. I forgot that Resanni Warrior guards are known for defending their charges against any threat of any size.”

~~  
Two Years Later

They were silent for the entire trip back home. Lucy didn’t cry this time – though she wasn’t going to lie to herself and pretend it wasn’t a close thing. She had to keep herself from looking at Wyatt too much. She knew her control wouldn’t last if she didn’t. From the corner of her eye, it seemed like he was keeping his focus on the road, too.

Once they were inside the house, Lucy set down the Healer’s latest prescribed remedy on the dining table and let out a sigh. At least this time the Healer hadn’t focused only on what part of Lucy’s biology was making it impossible for her to conceive. These last two visits, she’d been looking at Wyatt, too. Not that sharing the blame really made it any less awful.

Lucy only noticed that Wyatt had stopped moving around in the kitchen after a while of the absence of clattering dishes and closing cabinets. She looked toward him, finally, over the counter that divided the kitchen from the dining area. He was leaning against the opposite counter, staring at nothing.

She came slowly into the kitchen – only then noticing that his left arm was turned over so that his accordance mark was visible. He wasn’t looking at it or touching it, but the sight still made her hold back a sob. Even more than it had recently, it felt like the mark was mocking her.

She must have made enough of a sound for Wyatt to look up at her. When he met her eyes, Lucy cleared her throat. Maybe this needed to be said. Maybe she needed to clear the air. “Do you ever wonder?” she asked. Her voice was quieter and thinner than she had expected. She swallowed.

“Do I ever wonder what?” he said, after a pause. Now he looked concerned.

“Whether that--” she pointed at the little red mark on his wrist, “was some kind of-- mistake? Whether the universe, or fate, or whatever, thought I could be the mother of your children, but they got it wrong somehow?” She was crying now.

“Lucy,” he breathed, crossing the room to pull her into his arms. “No.”

“You’ve-- you’ve never even thought for a second--?”

“If you’re asking whether or not I’ve wondered why this is happening, when I’ve had this accordance mark for so many years now, then yes, I have,” he answered. His breaths were uneven, too, though his voice didn’t waver. “I’ve wondered it a lot, for close to two years now.”

Lucy buried her face in his chest. She’d done a lot of research – as much as was available on the topic, which admittedly wasn’t a vast amount – and hadn’t seen any records of previous Warrior pairs who were accordant who hadn’t been able to have children. Of course, none of those pairs had been a Warrior and an off-worlder.

“But if you’re asking whether I ever wonder whether I’ve made a mistake choosing my pair...” Wyatt pulled back, just so he could stroke her face. “The answer to that is _no_. I would have wanted to be with you, to spend my life with you, even if you never led me to get a new mark, Lucy.”

Sniffing, Lucy stared at him. “Really?”

“Really.” He gave her a faint smile. “I’ll admit I didn’t think it was possible at first, that you could be my pair. But that was only because I didn’t think you’d ever have any reason to want to be with me.”

She could remember how incredulous and amazed he’d looked, when she had first told him she wanted to find a way to make it work with him. And now it sounded like he was saying…

“I want kids, with you,” Wyatt went on, and his voice shook on those last words. He took a breath. “But even if-- if that never happens, that’s not going to change how I feel about you.”

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. “Even though that would mean I’m not-- we’re not helping keep _risa_?” She knew how important it was for each person on Resann to do what they could to maintain the balance between the castes. Especially since the Warrior population had yet to reach even close to pre-Rittenhouse numbers.

She opened her eyes again just in time to see him shake his head. “You came with me back to Resann, after we worked together to take down Rittenhouse. And since you’re my pair, you’re a citizen. Plus, you’re working to preserve the story of the invasion and the aftermath, while I train the next generation of Warriors. Those are all ways of keeping _risa_.”

They were quiet for a while, just standing in each other’s loose embrace. Then Lucy nodded. He’d made a lot of good points. “Okay,” she said. “But … I don’t want that to be enough. I mean, I want--” She cleared her throat again, glancing toward the remedy the Healer had sent back with them. “I want a family with you, still.”

“If it’s meant to happen – which I still believe it is – it will.”

And while she was pretty sure he wasn’t without any doubts, it was still a comfort to hear. After all, as he’d reminded her, the sequence of events that had let to them becoming a pair was no small thing.

~~


End file.
